Former World 10K Record Holder Kogo wins B2B

Micah Kogo Wears Down
Field for Men’s Title and Aheza Kiros Cruises to Victory in Women’s Race at 14th
TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K

In Maine Division,
Sheri Piers reclaims women’s title and Louie Luchini takes charge in men’s race
on a warm and humid morning in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

CAPE
ELIZABETH, Maine(August 6, 2011) ÛÓ Kenyan Micah Kogo used his Olympic track speed to
wear down a talented men’s field and Aheza Kiros of Ethiopia cruised to victory
on the women’s side in the 14th edition of the TD Bank Beach to
Beacon 10K Road Race on Saturday in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

In
the Maine Resident races, Sheri Piers of Falmouth pushed through the heat and humidity
to reclaim the women’s title, while Louie Luchini of Ellsworth, a decorated
collegian turned State Representative, put a stamp on his legacy in the men’s
race.

The
winners were among the record-setting 5,876 runners from 12 countries, 43
states and more than 200 Maine cities and town who finished the winding,
picturesque 6.2-mile course on a sunny, warm and humid morning on the Maine
coast. Thousands of spectators lined the course and filled bleachers at the
finish to cheer the runners.

Kogo
(27:48), who won bronze at 10,000m in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, pushed the
pace at the outset in record-setting fashion, pulled away at Mile 4 and then
hung on as the heat took a toll, preserving the course record of 27:28. Lucas
Rotich (27:56) of Kenya took second while Kenyan Ed Muge (27:59), the 2008 and
2009 TD Bank Beach to Beacon champion, finished strong to take third. Patrick
Smyth, 25, of Salt Lake City, was the first American at 28:39, good enough for
ninth place.

Kogo,
21, led an eight-man lead pack that recorded the fastest-ever two-mile split ÛÓ
8:47 ÛÓ in race history. They crossed the 5K mark at 13:37, again on pace for a
new course record. Kogo had already recorded a 27:15 earlier this year and once
held the 10K world record (27:01), so the anticipation built as he and Rotich,
21, ran shoulder-to-shoulder after returning to Route 77 from Old Ocean House
Road, with Allan Kiprono, 21, and Lani Rutto, 22, both of Kenya, still in the
hunt. Kogo made a move on Rotich before turning onto Shore Road, stretching the
lead but falling off the record pace. Rotich, a 5,000m specialist, could
not to reel him in, while Muge, who has never finished out of the top five in
his four years in the race, and Hosea Mwok-Macharinyang, 25, of Kenya (28:00),
charged hard at the end in tough conditions to finish 3-4. Kiprono (28:12), the
2010 runner up, took fifth and Rutto (28:34) sixth.

On
the women’s side, 25-year-old Aheza Kiros (32:09), a race favorite, did not
disappoint and became the first Ethiopian woman to win the women’s title.
Jelliah Tinega, 25, of Kenya, was awarded second place and Buzunesh Deba, 23,
of Ethiopia, third after they finished with identical times of 32:35.5. The
first American finisher was Sara Slattery, 29, of Boulder, Colo., who took
sixth (33:36).

Kiros,
Tinega and Deba formed a tight lead pack over the first two miles before Deba
fell off the pace, leaving Kiros and Tinega to trade lead positions until Mile
3, when Kiros pulled away and never looked back, winning by almost half a
minute. Kiros was seeking redemption after being disappointed by a fourth-place
finish in her first TD Bank Beach to Beacon in 2009. Diane Nukuri Johnson, 26,
of Burundi, finished a strong fourth (32:44), well ahead of fifth-place
finisher Benita Willis, 32, of Australia (33:15). The women were well off the
course record of 30:59, set by Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya in 2010.

(Top Maine Woman Sheri Piers)

American
marathon record-holder and Olympic medalist Deena Kastor, 38, did not race
after becoming ill on Friday in Maine. She is returning to competitive racing
after having a baby in February and had targeted the race as a test of her
conditioning. She also was looking forward to competing for the first time in
the race founded by her idol Joan Benoit Samuelson. Catherine Ndereba, 39, a
two-time Olympic silver medalist from Kenya and five-time TD Bank Beach to
Beacon champ, finished 11th (34:30).

“Micah
and Lucas went out fast and teased us with a course-record pace, but the
conditions caught up with them,” said Elite Athlete Coordinator Larry Barthlow.
“On a different day, that record falls, but they still put on a good show. And
Aheza just dominated, which was nice to see for her.”

The
humid conditions also put a damper on the highly-anticipated women’s side of
the Maine Resident races. The race was viewed as a tossup between friends and
training partners Kristin Barry, 37, of Scarborough, the defending champ;
Piers, 40, of Falmouth, the 2009 champ and course-record holder; and Erica
Jesseman, 22, of Scarborough, the young rising star. But the epic battle turned
into an epic struggle. Barry (38:32) needed to stop along the course for three
minutes before continuing and Jesseman (35:38) collapsed and passed out after
crossing the finish line in second, 26 seconds behind Piers, whose winning time
(35:11) was almost a full minute behind her 2009 course record of 34:17. Barry,
a two-time champ and former course record holder, finished fifth, behind
Kristine Guaraldo, 35, of South Portland (38:04), and Mary Pardi, 41, of
Falmouth (38:31).

The
men’s race was Luchini’s opportunity to put a stamp on his legacy like so many
other top Maine runners have done over the years with a win in the TD Bank
Beach to Beacon 10K. Maine’s most decorated collegiate athlete ever, the
30-year-old Ellsworth native was an 11-time All-American at Stanford who now
serves as a Maine state representative. He controlled the race from the start,
staying comfortably in front of Jonny Wilson, 23, ofFalmouth, the hottest racer on the Maine road race circuit this year.
Luchini (30:36) won by seven seconds with Wilson (30:42) in second, 27-year-old
Joshua Trevino (31:33) of Orono in third, 25-year-old Josh Zolla (31:55) fourth
and 21-year-old Ethan Shaw (32:05) of Falmouth fifth.

In
all, prize money of more than $60,000 was awarded to the runners, including
$10,000 for the overall male and female winners, $5,000 for the second place
winners and cash prizes for the top 10 finishers and in the different
categories. The Maine Resident winners received $1,000.

Also,
in the Corporate Challenge, pitting teams of athletes from a number of New
England corporations and businesses, Unum again won first place in the mixed
team division, the Freeport School Department won the men’s division, Maine
Health the women’s division, and Fairchild Semiconductor for the first time 10K
division.

“It
was another spectacular TD Bank Beach to Beacon with a record 5,676 finishers,”
said Race President David Weatherbie, 43, who ran 37:00 to finish 150th
overall and also served as Official Race Starter with his mom, Sue Weatherbie.
“It was certainly warm and
humid, which in general slowed the times down compared to last year.
However, the race volunteers and spectators were incredibly supportive.
A huge and enthusiastic crowd lined the course and cheered on the
runners which really helped them tremendously. It’s a ton of work to
put on this event and I am very proud and grateful of our sponsors, organizing
committee, volunteers, DMSE, and the Town of Cape Elizabeth and its residents.”

The
TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K is one of the most popular road races in the
country, combining small-town charm with big-city crowds and top world-class
athletes, year in and year out. Founded by TD Bank and Olympic gold medalist
Joan Benoit Samuelson, a Cape Elizabeth native, the race benefits a different charity
each year.

The beneficiary of this year’s race is Day
One (www.day-one.org), a non-profit
agency providing substance abuse prevention, intervention, treatment, and
aftercare programs for Maine youth. TD
Bank, through the TD Charitable Foundation, provided a cash donation of
$30,000 to the organization, which also benefited from fundraising activities
and publicity through its association with the race. TD Bank has now donated a
total of $420,000 to Maine charities over the history of the race.

Samuelson,
a running legend who remains a role model for women athletes worldwide, spent
most of Saturday’s event at the finish line cheering, greeting and shaking
hands of world-class and recreational runners alike.

“I continue to see this race change
lives, and to see the faces of these runners as they close the finish line is
truly inspiring to me,” Samuelson said. “Every one of these runners is a
champion to me.”

The
race director is Dave McGillivray of DMSE Sports, who has organized every TD
Bank Beach to Beacon and also directs the BAA Boston Marathon and other events
around the world.

The
race course winds through the coastal town of Cape Elizabeth, starting near
Crescent Beach State Park on Route 77 and ending at the Portland Head Light,
the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

Larry
Wold, president of TD Bank in Maine, completed the race for the 14th
time on Saturday, this time in 41:01, which placed him in the top 6 percent of
all runners.

“We
at TD Bank feel tremendously fortunate to be a part of this world-class event,
one of the best road races in the country,” he said. “The dedication and
commitment to this race from everyone involved is just incredible. It was
another special day.”

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